hamsterization

English

Etymology

From hamster +‎ -ization, in allusion to a hamster wheel.

Noun

hamsterization (uncountable)

1. (journalism, informal) A tendency whereby journalists are expected to take on increased responsibilities relating to 24/7 digital publishing.
   • 2011, Steven Waldman, Information Needs of Communities, page 55:

     Hamsterization / As newsrooms have shrunk, the job of the remaining reporters has changed. They typically face rolling deadlines as they post to their newspaper's website before, and after, writing print stories. Some are required to blog and tweet as well, some to produce videos.

   • 2014, Nikki Usher, Making News at The New York Times, page 232:

     One can see the possibility for limitless content for a 24/7 world: churnalism, hamsterization, the news cyclone—names to describe the condition keep coming.

   • 2017, Bob Franklin, The Future of Journalism:

     Long-standing concerns about journalism's “stopwatch culture” and the negative impact of time pressures on newswork have been exacerbated in the digital age by growing demands for multi-platform technological proficiency, resulting in “hamsterization” of journalistic work.

   • 2019, Victor Pickard, Democracy Without Journalism?, page 84:

     Dean Starkman famously likened this news work to the “hamster wheel,” and others have referred to it as the “hamsterization” of journalism, by which news workers have to continuously take on more digital labor.